Fallbrook faces power shut-offs

Power was shut off to nearly 3,000 utility customers in the Fallbrook area amid increased fire danger as Village News was going to press Monday, Oct. 26.

San Diego Gas and Electric on Saturday, Oct. 24, had warned more than 21,000 ratepayers in northern San Diego County and southern Orange County that they were at risk of having their power turned off Oct. 26 and 27 if wind conditions warrant.

"Customers who were notified should be prepared to activate their personal emergency plan to keep their family and pets safe," SDG&E said on Saturday.

"SDG&E will continue to provide customers with updates when there is more certainty about forecasted weather conditions."

The shut-offs began around 10 a.m., Oct. 26 in parts of Fallbrook, Rainbow, Bonsall and De Luz, and there was no word at press time as to when they would be lifted.

Power shut-offs are approved by state regulators to mitigate fire risk during dangerous weather conditions like the Santa Ana winds that were forecast for the Southern California region this week. San Diego County was under a wind advisory until 5 p.m. Oct. 26, and other parts of the region, including Riverside County just to the north of Fallbrook, were scheduled to be under a red flag warning until the evening of Oct. 27.

Although there were no fires in the Fallbrook area as of the afternoon of Oct. 26, the Silverado Fire in Orange County that broke out the morning of Oct. 26 forced the evacuations of more than 60,000 people and had charred more than 4,000 acres by the afternoon.

SDG&E set up a community resource center at the Fallbrook Branch Library for those whose power was turned off.

The Fallbrook community resource center on Oct. 26 was offering things like water, wi-fi, medical device charging, phone charging, snacks, ice, water trucks for livestock and more should the need arise, SDG&E said.

The utility company also set up another community resource center in San Clemente for any ratepayers affected by the shut-offs in that area, although shut-offs were limited to North San Diego County at press time.

Will Fritz can be reached by email at [email protected]